To promote the healing process of a damaged or fragmented bone, bone plates are commonly attached to an outside surface of the bone. The bone plates act as stabilizing elements for the damaged area. In addition, they may help to position fragmented bone sections relative to one another.
Depending on the specific bone fragmentation, suitable bone plates are generally selected based on the shape, size or other relevant characteristics. Accordingly, bone plates are mostly designed for a limited range of uses or only for specific types of injuries. Therefore, the field of application of such bone plates is often limited.